Three of the five remaining defendants in the federal case accusing former NBA guard Malik Beasley of fixing his own stat lines for bettors intend to plead guilty, a prosecutor told a Brooklyn judge on Wednesday. Beasley’s lawyer says he has no plans to plead.
Key Takeaways
- A prosecutor told the court three of the five remaining defendants intend to plead guilty; two have not.
- Co-defendant William Brown has already pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
- Beasley is accused of altering his play for bets in four 2023-24 Bucks games; the trial is set for May 17, 2027.
Beasley Holds Out as Others Move Toward Pleas
Per The Athletic, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman told Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall that the government believes three of the five remaining defendants will plead guilty, while the other two have not yet entertained plea deals. It was not disclosed which defendants intend to plead. Beasley and his co-defendant Ed Davis, a former NBA player, both attended the hearing.
Steve Haney, an attorney for Beasley, told The Athletic that his client does not intend to plead guilty as of now and is still reviewing discovery and possible defenses. Lawyers for Davis, his former agent Paolo Zamorano, Ernesto Plascencia, and Robert Gorodetsky did not respond or would not say whether their clients plan to plead. A sixth defendant, William Brown, has already pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, The Athletic reported. If the case makes it to trial, then it is set to begin May 17, 2027.
The six men were charged in an indictment unsealed on June 29 with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege that Beasley, then with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2023-24 season, agreed with Davis in advance to underperform or overperform on specific statistics in exchange for reductions in gambling debts he owed Davis, and that the others used that information to place wagers totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars through multiple betting operators. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the defendants “turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation.” Each faces up to 20 years in prison on each wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy count, and up to five years on the sports-bribery count.
According to The Athletic’s account of the indictment, the alleged fixes covered four Bucks games in 2024: against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 26, the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 27, the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, and the Brooklyn Nets on March 21. Most wagers were on Beasley falling short of statistical thresholds, though he did not manage to stay under his rebounding line against the Nets.
Judge Hall is also handling the case against former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier over an alleged bribe to exit a game early. The bets at issue in both were player props, or wagers on an individual’s statistics, which prediction markets now list as well: Kalshi lists NBA player points and rebounds markets. In comments to the CFTC this spring, players’ unions for the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS urged the agency to prohibit contracts based on a “negative” outcome, including so-called under bets.